The first of its kind in Hong Kong was inaugurated on 12 December 1993. The idea of setting up a heritage trail was first mooted by the Antiquities Advisory Board and it was brought to fruition after several years of preparation by the Antiquities and Monuments Office and the Architectural Services Department.

Ping Shan has one of the longest recorded histories amongst districts in Hong Kong. A lineage of the Tang clan, one of the "Five Great Clans" in the New Territories, can be traced back to the twelfth century. Numerous elegant structures built in those days remain today, bearing testimony to historical and social development over the past centuries.

This Trail, meandering through Hang Mei Tsuen, Hang Tau Tsuen and Sheung Cheung Wai, is about one km long. It links up a number of traditional Chinese structures within easy walking distance, providing visitors with an opportunity to recapture aspects of life in the New Territories in the old days in a convenient half-day excursion.

Unique monuments along the trail include Tsui Sing Lau Pagoda (Hong Kong's only ancient pagoda), Tang Ancestral Hall (one of the largest ancestral halls in the territory), Sheung Cheung Wai (a walled village), Kun Ting Study Hall (built for students preparing for the Imperial Civil Service Examination), Hung Shing Temple and Yeung Hau Temple together with several other Chinese buildings.

Signposts and carved granite blocks can be found along the trail and on the pavement, guiding the footsteps of visitors. To help visitors appreciate the history of the monuments, information boards are put up at convenient locations.

The Ping Shan Heritage Trail was set up with the generous financial support of the Hong Kong Jockey Club and the Lord Wilson Heritage Trust. Renovation of the monuments and construction of signposts and information boards were done by the Architectural Services Department. Most important of all, support and cooperation of the Tang clan in Ping Shan has been a prime moving force behind the project.